Edenbridge, Kent facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edenbridge
The old town
Edenbridge
Population	7,808  8,907 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference	TQ445465
• London	18 mi (29 km)
Civil parish	Edenbridge
District	Sevenoaks
Shire county	Kent
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	EDENBRIDGE
Postcode district	TN8
Dialling code	01732
Police	Kent
Fire	Kent
Ambulance	South East Coast
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Tonbridge
List of places UK England Kent 51°11′49″N 0°03′54″E / 51.197°N 0.065°E / 51.197; 0.065

Edenbridge is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks district of Kent, England. Its name comes from an old English phrase, "Eadhelm's Bridge." The town is located near the border of Kent and Surrey. It sits on the floodplain of the River Medway. The town gets its name from a smaller river, the River Eden, which flows into the Medway. In 2011, about 7,808 people lived in Edenbridge.

History of Edenbridge

The old town of Edenbridge in 2018

The oldest part of Edenbridge grew along an ancient Roman road. This road, called the London to Lewes Way, crossed the river here. People used iron slag, which is a leftover from iron making, to build this road. In the Middle Ages, Edenbridge was a key place for making iron. You can still see many old buildings made of wood from that time. One of these buildings now holds the Eden Valley Museum.

When railways arrived, the town started to grow bigger. A nearby area called Marlpit Hill became part of Edenbridge.

Spitals Cross estate

After World War II, new modern homes were built in areas like Stangrove Park and Spitals Cross.

Because Edenbridge is on the River Eden floodplain, the town center can sometimes flood. A very bad flood happened in 1958. It caused a lot of damage to the High Street. In 1968, the town flooded again after heavy storms. Even though the river had been cleaned out to prevent this, it still happened. Luckily, no one died. People say a man had to be rescued by helicopter because he was too busy watching TV to notice the water rising! Since then, better flood defenses have been built. The local community is now ready to deal with possible floods. In December 2019, the town was "paralyzed" when the river flooded again.

Mills in Edenbridge

Over many years, Edenbridge has had four mills. These mills used water or wind power. Haxted Mill and Honour's Mill were on the River Eden. Christmas Mill was on a small river flowing into the Eden. There was also a windmill south of the town. All four mill buildings are still standing today. However, they are now used for other things, not for milling.

Edenbridge Railway Stations

Edenbridge has two railway stations. The first one, simply called Edenbridge, opened in 1842. It is located in Marlpit Hill. The second station, called Edenbridge Town, opened in 1888. It is about a mile southeast of the first station.

Both stations are managed by Southern trains.

• Edenbridge Station has trains every hour between Redhill and Tonbridge. During busy times, trains run every half hour.
• Edenbridge Town Station has trains every hour between London Bridge and Uckfield. On Sundays, these trains go to Oxted instead of London Bridge.

About the Town of Edenbridge

Edenbridge is "twinned" with Mont-Saint-Aignan in France. This means the two towns have a special friendship. A road built in the early 2000s to help with traffic is named Mont St Aignan Way.

Today, there are no banks in Edenbridge, but there is a mobile bank at the Thursday market. There is also a post office and several well-known shops.

Edenbridge has its own hospital, the Edenbridge War Memorial Hospital. It was first built to help soldiers after World War I. A new building was made in 1931. The hospital has different departments, like an Out Patients Department and a Minor Injuries Unit. It is very important to the town. People in Edenbridge have fought hard to keep the hospital open many times. They see it as a key part of their community. There are plans to replace it with a new health center.

The Edenbridge Bonfire Society is a local group that puts on a big bonfire event. In 2022, they planned to burn a large model of former prime minister Liz Truss and a lettuce. The model was 11 meters (about 36 feet) tall. It held a copy of the Guinness Book of Records. This was a joke about her being the shortest-serving prime minister. The model also included a copy of her mini-budget and a T-shirt saying "I am a fighter, not a quitter."

Churches and Worship Places

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a very old church from the 13th century. It has beautiful stained-glass windows designed by Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Inside, you can see old drawings on the walls, including special symbols meant to protect the building.

There is also a Baptist chapel on the High Street. The Eden Church, formed by two Baptist churches joining together, now meets at The Eden Centre.

Roman Catholics worship at St Lawrence's Church.

In the nearby area of Marsh Green, there are two other places of worship: St John's United Reformed Church and a Kingdom Hall for Jehovah's Witnesses.

An old chapel called Ebenezer Chapel, once used by Independent and Strict Baptists, is now a community café.

Media in Edenbridge

Local news and TV shows for Edenbridge come from BBC South East and BBC London on BBC One. They also come from ITV Meridian and ITV London on ITV1.

You can listen to local radio stations like BBC Radio Kent, Heart South, Gold, and KMFM West Kent.

Edenbridge also has its own local newspaper, the Edenbridge Chronicle.

Climate in Edenbridge

Famous People from Edenbridge

Many interesting people have lived in or come from Edenbridge:

• Walter Galpin Alcock (1861–1947) was a famous organist and composer. He played the organ at the coronations of three different kings!
• Ralph Alger Bagnold (1896–1990) was a desert explorer. He spent his last years living in Edenbridge.
• Tony Burns (born 1944) is a football player and manager who was born here.
• Lennox Cato (born 1962) is an expert on the TV show Antiques Roadshow. He lives in the town.
• Tom Chatfield (born 1980) is an author who lives in Edenbridge.
• Rob Cross (born 1990) is a professional darts player who lives in the town.
• Jasper Maskelyne (1902-1973) was a magician who grew up in Edenbridge.
• John Surtees (1934–2017) was a world champion motorcycle and Formula One racing driver. His workshop was in Edenbridge.
• Henry Surtees (1991–2009) was a racing driver and John's son. He also lived in Edenbridge.
• William Taillour (1406–83) was the Lord Mayor of London in 1468. He lived in Edenbridge.
• Tom Tugendhat (born 1973) is a Conservative Member of Parliament for Tonbridge and Malling. He lives in Edenbridge, and the town is part of his voting area.

See also

In Spanish: Edenbridge (Kent) para niños